The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of options for what they can do with the 20th pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Right now, offensive line seems like the obvious unit for the team to address, but there are still some people out there who think they could take a receiver with the pick.
However, there’s another interesting route they could go with pick 20.
They could just not make the pick.
There are a few teams out there who could be interested in moving up to 20.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell crafted a hypothetical trade for every pick in the first round, including one that could see the Steelers to move back in round one.
The trade would see the Steelers send the 20th pick and 119th pick in this year’s draft to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for pick 24, pick 87, and pick 174.
Here’s what Barnwell had to say about the hypothetical deal:
“The Steelers could stand to add another offensive lineman, but they would probably be looking toward tackle as opposed to guard. This wasn’t a deep team a year ago, and the days when they had homegrown talent waiting to burst through the ranks up and down the roster appear to be in the past. I’d like to see Pittsburgh add more depth across the board with this draft, and Mike Tomlin’s team would have five top-100 picks if it did this deal.”
Why It Makes Sense for the Steelers
The Steelers have four major needs as they head into this year’s draft.
They need an offensive tackle, a center, a wide receiver, and a corner.
Making this move could help them make sure they are able to address all of those needs.
It’s not because they need more draft picks. They already have four in the first three rounds, which would be enough to fill each of those needs.
While Barnwell wants to see the Steelers add depth, what this deal would really give them is flexibility.
Right now, the need that seems like it could be the toughest to fill is center. There are a few very good options in this draft, but the best of the group could all be taken between the Steelers’ first rounder and their second pick.
Making this deal would give them more capital to package with pick 51 to move up in round two and get one of those centers.
It’s something that the Steelers seem to want to do as 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi said he has heard from sources that the Steelers are very interested in moving around the draft board to get Zach Frazier.
This would allow them to do it without sacrificing the chance to address another position.
It’s also a move that might not change anything for them in round one.
Not Much Difference Between 20 & 24
The biggest benefit of this trade is that it probably doesn’t actually change much for the Steelers in round one.
They are expected to take an offensive lineman in the first round. DraftKings Sportsbook has that outcome listed at -330 right now.
If the lineman they are looking for with that pick is a tackle, they wouldn’t have much to worry about from the teams picking 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.
The Dolphins, Eagles, and Vikings are all set with their tackles right now.
Minnesota has been believed to be angling to package pick 23 with pick 11 to move up and get a QB, so that could make things a bit more interesting for the Steelers, but they would still have a good chance of getting to pick 24 without seeing an extra tackle come off the board.
That could mean they would still be able to pick from options like Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton. Either one would allow the Steelers to move Broderick Jones back to left tackle once they are ready to start at the next level.
The Steelers have spent this offseason positioning themselves well for the 2024 season and a trade back with the Cowboys could be the next shrew move to pay off for them.
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Proposed Steelers-Cowboys Draft Trade Sees Pittsburgh Move Back in Round 1